Current producing surface for treating biologic tissue

ABSTRACT

In an embodiment, an article includes a primary surface, and a pattern of spaced dissimilar materials, on the primary surface. The pattern is to spontaneously produce electrical surface currents when brought into contact with an electrically conducting solution.

RELATED INVENTION

The present invention is a continuation of “Current Producing SurfaceFor A Wound Dressing,” U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/784,088,filed 19 Feb. 2004, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,457,667, which isincorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Bandages and wound dressings are simple, familiar devices. In an effortto hasten the wound healing process or reduce the risk of infection,there have been many recent efforts to redesign, or sometimes redefine,a bandage. Few people have enjoyed the benefits of some new bandagesbecause they are either too complex or too expensive.

The major advances in the art of wound healing are usually eitherimproved methods for reducing infection or stimulating cell repair. Itis now known that a moist wound heals faster and is less likely to scarthan a dry wound, so the use of traditional bandages to keep a woundmoist and protected is correct. It is also known that silver is ananti-microbial agent, so there are numerous products that deliver silverto a wound, such as Smith & Nephew^(SM) ACTICOAT 7™, Johnson & Johnson®ACTISORB™, and Bristol-Meyers Squibb^(SM) HYDROFIBER®.

Covering a wound is easy, and there are numerous products that fill thatneed. Delivering silver to a wound, however, has posed many difficultiesbecause silver is a metal. Some methods resort to using silver crystals,which have a large relative surface area. Colloidal silver, silver salts(e.g. silver nitrate) and silver compounds (e.g. silver sulfadiazine)have been used to make creams and ointments. Creams and ointments arepopular in the field of medicine because they are easy to use andfamiliar.

There are devices that rely on either an external electrical powersource or a direct reaction between silver and another material togenerate the production of silver ions. Unfortunately, these devices mayrequire expensive manufacturing processes, and the devices themselvescan be complex and cumbersome.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In an embodiment, an article includes a primary surface, and a patternof spaced dissimilar materials, on the primary surface. The pattern isto spontaneously produce electrical surface currents when brought intocontact with an electrically conducting solution.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a detailed plan view of a very basic embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a detailed plan view of a pattern of printed electricalconductors in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an adhesive bandage using the printed pattern of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a cross-section of FIG. 3 through line 3-3.

FIG. 5 is a detailed plan view of an alternate embodiment of the presentinvention which includes fine lines of metal ink connecting electrodes.

FIG. 6 is a detailed plan view of another alternate embodiment of thepresent invention having a line pattern and dot pattern.

FIG. 7 is a detailed plan view of yet another alternate embodiment ofthe present invention having two line patterns.

The reference numbers used in the various Figs. are as follows:

-   -   2 primary surface    -   3 cross section    -   4 article    -   6 first design    -   8 spacing    -   10 second design    -   12 repetition    -   14 pattern    -   16 elastic adhesive layer    -   18 overlapping piece    -   20 back of the printed dressing material    -   22 absorbent cloth layer    -   24 fine lines

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The detailed description of embodiments of the present invention hasbeen broken into two sections. The first section will teach how to makepreferred and alternate embodiments. The second section explorestheories that may explain why embodiments of the present inventionachieve beneficial results, but it is not necessary to understand thesetheories in order to make, use or otherwise benefit from embodiments ofthe present invention. Any inaccuracies or oversimplifications of thetheories presented in the second section should in no way detract fromthe scope of the claims, which focus on the embodiments and not thetheories.

A preferred embodiment includes a bandage, more generally a wounddressing, but a method for making a wound dressing, in accordance withan embodiment of the present invention, can similarly be applied tovirtually any medical device that contacts an electrolyte of the body,as will be apparent to one of skill in the art, based on the descriptionherein. Actually, embodiments of the present invention can be applied tovirtually any non-conductive surface that may come into contact with anelectrolytic solution. A purpose of using the present invention is toreduce infection and contamination, but there are additional benefitsspecific to wound care that are of exceptional value. These benefitswill be addressed in the second section.

Over 200 years ago, in 1800, Alessandro Volta assembled the first modernbattery. He sandwiched a saltwater-soaked piece of paper between a zincdisc and a silver disc, and was electrically shocked by the potentialdifference, or voltage, that was created by his assembly. Volta'selectrochemical cell generated an electrical current because of aspontaneous oxidation-reduction reaction. In his honor, this type ofelectrochemical cell is called a voltaic cell, but may also be referredto as a galvanic cell. In the case of silver and zinc, electrons aretransferred from zinc metal to silver ions. The oxidation half reactionof zinc metal results in the loss of two electrons to produce zinc ion,and the reduction half reaction of silver ion results in the gain of oneelectron to produce silver metal. The zinc electrode is the anode(negative sign) and the silver electrode is the cathode (positive sign),because the electrons flow from zinc to silver. The flow of ionsgenerates the electrical current, so the silver and zinc cannot directlycontact each other or there will be a direct reaction with no currentgenerated. An electrolyte, such as table salt, dissolves in water toprovide an electrically conducting solution which electrically bridgesthe gap between the two dissimilar metals so that there is a currentflow caused by the spontaneous reactions between the physicallyseparated metals.

Dissimilar metals used to make the preferred embodiment of the presentinvention (a wound dressing) are silver and zinc, and the electrolyticsolution includes sodium chloride in water. A unique aspect of someembodiments of the present invention is that the electrodes are paintedor printed onto a non-conductive surface to create a pattern, mostpreferably an array, of voltaic cells that do not spontaneously reactuntil they contact an electrolytic solution, such as wound fluid. Theremainder of this description will use the terms “printing” with “ink”,but it is understood that the embodiments may instead be “painted” with“paints”. It is also assumed that a competent printer will know how toproperly apply and cure the inks without any assistance, other thanperhaps instructions that should be included with the selected binderthat is used to make the ink mixtures that will be used in the printingprocess.

In FIG. 1, the electrodes are printed onto a desired primary surface 2of an article 4 which, in the preferred embodiment, is that surface of awound dressing that comes into direct contact with a wound. In alternateembodiments of the present invention, the primary surface is one whichsimply should be antimicrobial, such as a medical instrument, implant,surgical gown, gloves, socks, table, door knob, or other surface thatwill contact an electrolytic solution, including sweat, so that at leastpart of the pattern of voltaic cells will spontaneously react and killbacteria or other microbes.

The printed electrodes adhere or bond to the primary surface 2 because abiocompatible binder is mixed, into separate mixtures, with each of thedissimilar metals that will create the pattern of voltaic cells, in anembodiment. Most inks are simply a binder mixed with pigment. Similarly,the metal inks are a binder mixed with a conductive element. Theresulting metal ink mixtures may be used with an application method,such as screen printing, in an embodiment, to apply the electrodes tothe primary surface in predetermined patterns. Once the inks dry and/orcure, the patterns of spaced electrodes will substantially maintaintheir relative position, even on a flexible material such as cloth. Tomake only a few of the wound dressings of an embodiment of the presentinvention, the mixtures can be hand painted onto a common adhesivebandage so that there is an array of alternating electrodes that arespaced about a millimeter apart on the primary surface of the bandage.The paint should be allowed to dry before being applied to a wound sothat the zinc ink does not mix with the silver ink, which would destroythe array and cause direct reactions that will release the elements, butfail to simulate the current of injury, as will be explained later.

The binder may include any biocompatible liquid material that can bemixed with a conductive element (preferably metallic crystals of silveror zinc) to create an ink which may be applied as a thin coating to asurface. One suitable binder is a solvent reducible polymer, such as thepolyacrylic non-toxic silk-screen ink manufactured by Colorcon, Inc., adivision of Berwind Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (see Colorcon'sNo-Tox® product line, part number NT28). The binder is mixed with highpurity (at least 99.999%, in an embodiment) metallic silver crystals tomake the silver ink, in an embodiment. The silver crystals, which aremade by grinding silver into a powder, are preferably smaller than 100microns in size, or about as fine as flour. In an embodiment, the sizeof the crystals is about 325 mesh, which is typically about 40 micronsin size, or a little smaller. The binder is separately mixed with highpurity (at least 99.99%, in an embodiment) metallic zinc powder, in anembodiment, which has also preferably been sifted through standard 325mesh screen, to make the zinc ink. For better quality control and moreconsistent results, most of the crystals used should be larger than 325mesh and smaller than 200 mesh. Other powders of metal can be used tomake other metallic inks in the same way as just described, in otherembodiments.

The ratio of metal to binder affects the release rate of the metal fromthe mixture. When Colorcon's polyacrylic ink is used as the binder,about 10 to 40 percent of the mixture should be metal for a longer termbandage (one that stays on for about 10 days). If the same binder isused, but the percentage of the mixture that is metal is increased to 60percent or higher, then the release rate will be much faster and atypical bandage will only be effective for a few days. It should benoted that polyacrylic ink tends to crack if applied as a very thincoat, which exposes more metal crystals which will spontaneously react.For alternate uses, such as on an article of clothing, it may be desiredto decrease the percentage of metal down to 5 percent or less, or to usea binder that causes the crystals to be more deeply embedded, so thatthe primary surface will be antimicrobial for a very long period of timeand will not wear prematurely. Other binders may dissolve or otherwisebreak down faster or slower than a polyacrylic ink, so adjustmentsshould be made to achieve the desired rate of spontaneous reactions fromthe voltaic cells.

In various embodiments, when a single mass of silver ink is spaced froma single mass of zinc ink, a single voltaic cell is created when anelectrolytic solution electrically connects the masses. If a single massof silver ink is spaced from two masses of zinc ink, then two voltaiccells are created, and so on. To maximize the number of voltaic cells,in various embodiments, a pattern of alternating silver ink masses andzinc ink masses may create an array of electrical currents across theprimary surface. A very basic pattern, shown in FIG. 1, has each mass ofsilver ink equally spaced from four masses of zinc ink, and has eachmass of zinc ink equally spaced from four masses of silver ink,according to an embodiment. The first design 6 is separated from thesecond design 10 by a spacing 8. The designs, which are simply rounddots, in an embodiment, are repeated. Numerous repetitions 12 of thedesigns result in a pattern. For a wound dressing, each silver inkdesign preferably has about twice as much mass as each zinc ink design,in an embodiment. For the pattern in FIG. 1, the silver ink designs aremost preferably about a millimeter from each of the closest four zincink designs, and visa-versa. The resulting pattern of dissimilar metalmasses defines an array of voltaic cells when introduced to anelectrolytic solution.

A dot pattern of ink masses, like the alternating round dots of FIG. 1,is preferred when printing onto a flexible material, such as those usedfor a wound dressing, because the dots won't significantly affect theflexibility of the material. The pattern of FIG. 1 is well suited forgeneral use. To maximize the density of electrical current over aprimary surface, the pattern of FIG. 2 is preferred. The first design 6in FIG. 2 is a large hexagonally shaped dot, and the second design 10 isa pair of smaller hexagonally shaped dots that are spaced from eachother. The spacing 8 that is between the first design and the seconddesign maintains a relatively consistent distance between adjacent sidesof the designs. Numerous repetitions 12 of the designs result in apattern 14 that can be described as at least one of the first designbeing surrounded by six hexagonally shaped dots of the second design.The pattern of FIG. 2 is well suited for abrasions and burns. There are,of course, other patterns that could be printed to achieve substantiallythe same results.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show how the pattern of FIG. 2 could be used to make anadhesive bandage. The pattern shown in detail in FIG. 2 is printed ontothe primary surface 2 of a wound dressing material. The back 20 of theprinted dressing material is fixed to an absorbent cloth layer 22, suchas cotton. The absorbent cloth layer is adhesively fixed to an elasticadhesive layer 16 such that there is at least one overlapping piece 18of the elastic adhesive layer that may be used to secure the wounddressing over a wound.

FIG. 5 shows an additional feature, which may be added between designs,that will start the flow of current in a poor electrolytic solution. Afine line 24 is printed, using one of the metal inks, along a currentpath of each voltaic cell. The fine line will initially have a directreaction, but will be depleted until the distance between the electrodesincreases to where maximum voltage is realized. The initial currentproduced is intended to help control edema so that the wound dressingwill be effective. If the electrolytic solution is highly conductivewhen the wound dressing is initially applied, the fine line will bequickly depleted and the wound dressing will function as though the fineline had never existed.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show alternative patterns that use at least one linedesign. The first design 6 of FIG. 6 is a round dot, similar to thefirst design used in FIG. 1. The second design 10 of FIG. 6 is a line.When the designs are repeated, they define a pattern of parallel linesthat are separated by numerous spaced dots. FIG. 7 uses only linedesigns.

The pattern of FIG. 7 is well suited for cuts, especially when the linesare perpendicular to a cut. The first design 6 may be thicker or widerthan the second design 10 if the oxidation-reduction reaction requiresmore metal from the first conductive element (mixed into the firstdesign's ink) than the second conductive element (mixed into the seconddesign's ink). The lines could be dashed. Another pattern could besilver ink grid lines that have zinc ink masses in the center of each ofthe cells of the grid. The pattern could even be letters printed fromalternating inks so that a message can be printed onto the primarysurface—perhaps a brand name.

There are numerous possible creative choices of patterns, but somepatterns will work better with certain combinations of inks. Because thespontaneous oxidation-reduction reaction of silver and zinc usesapproximately two silver and one zinc, the silver ink design may containabout twice as much mass as the zinc ink design, in an embodiment. At aspacing of about 1 mm between the closest dissimilar metals (closestedge to closest edge), each voltaic cell that is in wound fluid maycreate approximately 1 volt of potential that will penetratesubstantially through the dermis and epidermis. Closer spacing of thedots may decrease the resistance, provide less potential, and thecurrent will not penetrate as deeply. If the spacing falls below aboutone tenth of a millimeter, a realized benefit of the spontaneousreaction is that which is also present with a direct reaction—silver iselectrically driven into the wound, but the current of injury may not besubstantially simulated.

The remainder of this description is the second section, which focuseson the basic theories underlying why the present invention promoteswound healing. The introduction of silver metal onto a wound surfaceand/or into the region of damaged tissue promotes healing by directsuppression of local micro-organisms normally colonizing the wound.Bacterial pathogens commonly include gram-positive cocci such asStaphylococcus aureus and group A streptococci and gram-negative bacillisuch as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and Proteus spp. Theelectrochemical nature of silver is such that it is positively chargedand thus is able to bind to negatively charged sulfur moieties of theamino acids methionine and cysteine composing critical structural andenzymatic proteins utilized by bacterial cells. The effect of thisbinding interaction between silver and bacterial proteins is that theproteins' intrinsic chemical bonds are disrupted, causing the bacterialproteins to denature, or change 3-dimensional conformation, and therebyto be functionally ineffective in a way that is of mortal consequence tothe bacterial cell.

It has proven to be beneficial to drive silver into the wound. Inaddition, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention,because the induced electrical current has been shown toelectrochemically attract microbes to the surface of the bandage, manyof the killed microbes are removed with the bandage instead ofaccumulating within the wound and necessitating the phagocyticengulfment and removal by macrophages in the natural but slower processof wound healing. Of additional concern in not removing dead bacterialcells from the wound vicinity is the release of toxic enzymes andchemicals from the dead and degrading bacteria, thought to be alleviatedby application of embodiments of the present invention. Bacteria andother microbes are specifically drawn to the cathode (silver in thepreferred embodiment) by virtue of their overall net negative chargealong the created electric gradient. Because all microbes are netnegatively charged, they die when they contact silver.

The most preferred material to use in combination with silver to createthe voltaic cells of embodiments of the present invention is zinc. Zinchas been well-described for its uses in prevention of infection in suchtopical antibacterial agents as Bacitracin zinc, a zinc salt ofBacitracin. Zinc is a divalent cation with antibacterial properties ofits own in addition to possessing the added benefit of being a cofactorto proteins of the metalloproteinase family of enzymes important to thephagocytic debridement and remodeling phases of wound healing. As acofactor, zinc promotes and accelerates the functional activity of theseenzymes, resulting in better, more efficient wound healing.

In a wound, the absence of the positively charged epithelium—negativelycharged dermis combination which is normally observed in healthy tissueresults in a deficit in the naturally occurring potential differenceacross the body surface. The silver-zinc voltaic cells of the preferredembodiment of the present invention recreates the physiologic current ofinjury important to the induction of neutrophil, macrophage andfibroblast cells essential to the healing process. In addition, thesimulated current of injury stimulates regional nerve endings to promotetheir involvement in wound resolution.

The voltage present at the sight of a wound has been traditionally inthe range of millivolts, but embodiments of the present invention mayintroduce a much higher voltage, near 1 volt when using the 1 mm spacingof dissimilar metals already described. The higher voltage is believedto drive the current deeper into the wound bed so that dermis andepidermis benefit from the simulated current of injury. In this way, thecurrent not only drives some silver and zinc into the wound to killmicrobes, but the current also provides the stimulatory current ofinjury so that the entire wound surface area can heal simultaneously, inan embodiment. Without the wound dressing of embodiments of the presentinvention, the current of injury may only naturally exist at theperiphery of the wound that is within about half a millimeter ofundamaged skin. That is why a wound closes from the edges in. A benefitof covering the entire wound with a simulated current of injury, inaccordance with various embodiments, is that the volume of skin beingrepaired at the same time is significantly increased.

A further benefit of a current producing wound dressing addresses themedically known fact that a wound closes faster if it is kept moist andclean. Edema should be minimized without allowing the wound surface todesiccate. The moisture balance of a wound should allow the damaged areato remain electrically conductive so that there are not areas of highresistance that block conduction of the simulated current of injury frompenetrating into the tissue. Any excessive moisture and swelling createsan ideal environment for the growth of bacteria and microbes. Excessmoisture that causes the damaged tissue to swell is best drawn out ofthe wound by being absorbed into cotton or another absorbent clothmaterial that will wick the excess moisture off the top of the woundsurface without promoting any drying of the damaged tissue.

Finally, it is preferable to control the release rate of the dissimilarmetals of the current producing wound dressing of various embodimentsfor two reasons, each in opposition to the other. In the preferredembodiment, the voltaic cells of the wound dressing drive the simulatedcurrent of injury deeper into the wound area if the dissimilar metalsare kept separated by a predetermined distance, such that it would beundesirable to allow the silver to freely mix into the wound fluids asthis would quickly result in a quenching of the electrochemical gradientand thus an extinguishing of the desired voltaic effect. On the otherhand, if a predetermined quantity of silver is allowed to mix into thewound, the silver will help prevent wound infection. (Please note thatthe spontaneous reactions of the voltaic cells will release elementsinto the wound even though the most desired method of killing microbesis at the cathodes, as already described.)

Because it is desirable to have both the current of injury and theantimicrobial effects of silver present, a compromise may be made. Toachieve a balance, the binder should release silver and zinc into thewound while simultaneously maintaining the simulated current of injuryfor the entire period of time that the bandage is intended to be left onthe wound. Wound dressings that should be changed more often can have ashorter life as a current producing dressing, so the release rate of thebinder can be faster. Wound dressings that are intended to be left onthe wound for an extended period of time, say 10 days, should have abinder that does not dissolve or otherwise breakdown as quickly, or thepercentage of binder to metallic crystals should be higher. This can becontrolled by the intelligent selection of different mixture ratiosand/or binder materials having longer or shorter half-lives orabsorption rates, in various embodiments.

While various embodiments of the invention have been shown anddescribed, it will be realized that alterations and modifications may bemade thereto without departing from the scope of the following claims.For example, it may be desirable to use methods other than a commonscreen printing machine to print the electrodes of the present inventiononto surfaces on medical instruments, garments, implants and the like sothat they are antimicrobial. It is expected that a other methods ofapplying the paint or ink may be substituted as appropriate. Also, thereare numerous shapes, sizes and patterns of voltaic cells that have notbeen described, but it is expected that this teaching will enable thoseskilled in the art to incorporate their own designs which will then bepainted or printed onto a surface to create voltaic cells which willbecome active when brought into contact with an electrolytic solution.

1. An apparatus for treating an area of biologic tissue comprising: asubstrate having a substrate surface; multiple first reservoirs joinedwith said substrate, said multiple first reservoirs including a reducingagent and a binder material attached with said reducing agent, firstreservoir surfaces of said multiple first reservoirs being positioned onsaid substrate surface, said multiple first reservoirs including a firstpattern of reservoirs; and multiple second reservoirs joined with saidsubstrate, said multiple second reservoirs including an oxidizing agentand said binder material attached with said oxidizing agent, secondreservoir surfaces of said multiple second reservoirs being positionedon said substrate surface, and said multiple second reservoirs includinga second pattern of reservoirs interleaved with said first pattern ofreservoirs to form an alternating arrangement of said first reservoirsand said second reservoirs, said alternating arrangement of said firstand second reservoirs defining an active surface of said apparatus, saidactive surface being adapted to be placed in contact with said area ofbiologic tissue, and currents are generated between adjacent ones ofsaid first and second reservoirs in said active surface for penetrationinto said area of biologic tissue; wherein said binder material in saidmultiple first and second reservoirs degrades in the presence of anelectrolytic solution, wherein degradation of said binder materialexposes said reducing agent at said first reservoir surfaces of saidfirst reservoirs and exposes said oxidizing agent in said multiplesecond reservoirs at said second reservoir surfaces of said secondreservoirs.
 2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein a size of saidactive surface is in a range of approximately 1-50 cm².
 3. An apparatusas claimed in claim 1 wherein: each of said first reservoirs exhibits afirst diameter of approximately 2 mm; each of said second reservoirsexhibits a second diameter of approximately 1 mm; and a lateral spacingbetween corresponding perimeters of adjacent ones of said firstreservoirs and said second reservoirs is in a range of approximately0.5-2.0 mm.
 4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein said lateralspacing between said corresponding perimeters of said adjacent ones ofsaid first reservoirs and said second reservoirs prevents the contact ofsaid adjacent ones of said first reservoirs with said second reservoirs.5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein: said each of said firstreservoirs exhibits a first mass of said reducing agent; and said eachof said second reservoirs exhibits a second mass of said oxidizingagent, said first mass being approximately twice as much as said secondmass.
 6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein: said reducing agentincludes silver; and said oxidizing agent includes zinc, an amount ofsaid zinc in each of said multiple second reservoirs being approximatelyhalf of an amount of said silver in each of said multiple firstreservoirs.
 7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein: said bindermaterial comprises a solvent reducible polymer; said each of saidmultiple first reservoirs includes a first mixture of said reducingagent and said binder, said first mixture including approximately 10-40percent of said reducing agent and a remainder of said first mixturebeing said binder; and said each of said multiple second reservoirsincludes a second mixture of said oxidizing agent and said binder, saidsecond mixture including approximately 10-40 percent of said oxidizingagent and a remainder of said second mixture being said binder.
 8. Anapparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said binder material comprises abiocompatible solvent reducible polymer.
 9. An apparatus as claimed inclaim 1 wherein said substrate comprises a pliable dressing material,said substrate surface is a face of said pliable dressing material, andsaid face of said pliable dressing material is adapted to be appliedwith said active surface facing said area of biologic tissue.
 10. Anapparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said alternating arrangement ofsaid first and second reservoirs defines an array of voltaic cells forspontaneously generating said currents in the form of an array ofelectrical currents across said active surface when introduced to anelectrolytic solution.
 11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 10 whereinsaid area of biologic tissue is skin tissue having an epidermis and adermis, and a lateral spacing between corresponding perimeters ofadjacent ones of said first reservoirs and said second reservoirs isapproximately 1 mm such that each of said voltaic cells createsapproximately 1 volt of potential to substantially penetrate saidepidermis and said dermis.
 12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1wherein: said multiple first reservoirs are formed from a first fluidthat includes said reducing agent; and said multiple second reservoirsare formed from a second fluid that includes said oxidizing agent, eachof said first and second fluids being printed into a position of contactwith said substrate surface.
 13. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1wherein said apparatus comprises a wound dressing, and said area ofbiologic tissue comprises damaged tissue.
 14. An apparatus for treatingan area of biologic tissue comprising: a substrate having a substratesurface, said substrate comprising a pliable dressing material, saidsubstrate surface being a face of said pliable dressing material, andsaid face of said pliable dressing material being adapted to be appliedfacing said area of biologic tissue; multiple first reservoirs joinedwith said substrate, said multiple first reservoirs including a reducingagent, first reservoir surfaces of said multiple first reservoirs beingpositioned on said substrate surface, said multiple first reservoirsincluding a first pattern of reservoirs; and multiple second reservoirsjoined with said substrate, said multiple second reservoirs including anoxidizing agent, second reservoir surfaces of said multiple secondreservoirs being positioned on said substrate surface, and said multiplesecond reservoirs including a second pattern of reservoirs interleavedwith said first pattern of reservoirs to form an alternating arrangementof said first reservoirs and said second reservoirs, said alternatingarrangement of said first and second reservoirs defining an activesurface of said apparatus, said active surface being adapted to beplaced in contact with said area of biologic tissue, and currents aregenerated between adjacent ones of said first and second reservoirs insaid active surface for penetration into said area of biologic tissue;an absorbent cloth layer fixed to a back of said pliable dressingmaterial, said back opposing said face of said pliable dressing; and anelastic adhesive layer bonded to said absorbent cloth layer, saidelastic adhesive layer including at least one overlapping piece of saidelastic adhesive layer for securing said face of said pliable dressingmaterial over said area of biologic tissue in a manner that enables saidreducing and oxidizing agents to be introduced directly to said area ofbiologic tissue.
 15. A wound dressing for treating an area of damagedtissue comprising: a substrate having a substrate surface; multiplefirst reservoirs joined with said substrate, each of said multiple firstreservoirs including a first mass of a reducing agent and a bindermaterial attached with said reducing agent, first reservoir surfaces ofsaid multiple first reservoirs being positioned on said substratesurface, said multiple first reservoirs including a first pattern ofreservoirs; and multiple second reservoirs joined with said substrate,each of said multiple second reservoirs including a second mass of anoxidizing agent and said binder material attached with said oxidizingagent, said first mass being approximately twice as much as said secondmass, second reservoir surfaces of said multiple second reservoirs beingpositioned on said substrate surface, and said multiple secondreservoirs including a second pattern of reservoirs interleaved withsaid first pattern of reservoirs to form an alternating arrangement ofsaid first reservoirs and said second reservoirs, said alternatingarrangement of said first and second reservoirs defining an activesurface of said apparatus, said active surface being adapted to beplaced in contact with said area of damaged tissue, and currents aregenerated between adjacent ones of said first and second reservoirs insaid active surface for penetration into said area of damaged tissue tofacilitate recovery of said damaged tissue; wherein said binder materialin said multiple first and second reservoirs degrades in the presence ofan electrolytic solution, wherein degradation of said binder materialexposes said reducing agent at said first reservoir surfaces of saidfirst reservoirs and exposes said oxidizing agent in said multiplesecond reservoirs at said second reservoir surfaces of said secondreservoirs.
 16. A wound dressing as claimed in claim 15 wherein a sizeof said active surface is in a range of approximately 1-50 cm².
 17. Awound dressing as claimed in claim 15 wherein said substrate comprises apliable dressing material, said substrate surface is a face of saidpliable dressing material, and said face of said pliable dressingmaterial is adapted to be applied with said active surface facing saidarea of damaged tissue.
 18. A wound dressing as claimed in claim 15wherein said alternating arrangement of said first and second reservoirsdefines an array of voltaic cells for spontaneously generating saidcurrents in the form of an array of electrical currents across saidactive surface when introduced to an electrolytic solution.